It began innocently enough. A college student studying in southern Spain snapped photos of herself in a bikini and e-mailed them to her boyfriend in the United States.
ID THEFT - Keith Burt, a deputy district attorney in San Diego, says his office gets two to three calls a week from people who claim they were harassed or impersonated online. CNS Photo by Nelvin Cepeda. In the months that followed, she didn't give the images much ... [full story]

BEIJING - China's Finance Minister Jin Renqing resigned Thursday and was appointed to a less senior position, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.Jin, 63, had been the subject of news reports that he had been shunted aside as part of a corruption investigation, Japan's Kyodo news service said.The government issued a brief statement indicating Jin had resigned for "personal reasons" and that it had been accepted by Chinese President Hu Jintao.The State Council appointed Jin ... [full story]

Like many people who follow technology, I waited for Apple's recent earnings report for the first glimpse of how the shiny new iPhone has been selling.
The hype and long lines outside stores led to a cash-register frenzy, but neither Apple nor AT&T, the iPhone's exclusive carrier, would say how big of a frenzy.
There were, of course, educated guesstimates from analysts who sometimes have the inside track and who generally have a vested interest. ... [full story]

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - A 17-year-old Mexican day laborer jailed in Georgia for refusing tuberculosis treatment is an illegal immigrant who will be deported, U.S. officials said.Gwinnett County, Ga., Sheriff Butch Conway told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Francisco Santos admitted he is in the United States illegally.However, Santos' condition and age could add months to the deportation process, since officials have to make sure that either family or the Mexican government will take care of the ... [full story]

Dear Mr. Berko: I'm a veterinarian and the accountant doing my taxes recently retired. In searching for a tax preparer I've discovered that there is a professional called an "enrolled agent." I was going to select a CPA but my dentist friend uses an enrolled agent and tells me that this professional would be better than a CPA. Please tell me what the difference is between an enrolled agent and a CPA. I also need ... [full story]

Dear Mr. Berko: For several months I've been agonizing over whether to buy 75 shares of AT&T for my IRA. I guess I need guidance. Please tell me your thoughts on this stock and help me make a decision. I know you recommended the stock last year at $28 but its 10 points higher now and I can't decide if the price is too high or if it can move higher. My next question concerns ... [full story]

NEW YORK - The discovery that a major campaign donor is a wanted man in California has U.S. Democrats scrambling to divest donations he made to them.The issue centers on Norman Hsu, a Hong Kong-born textiles businessman who moved to the United States when he was 18.Hsu has raised more than $1 million for the 2008 presidential campaign of Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., including donating $23,000 of his own money, making him what is called ... [full story]

Dear Mr. Berko: I sold my shares of the New York Stock Exchange in February at $100.50 on you recommendation. Now the stock is $73. Do you think this is a buying opportunity because its almost 30 points lower? If not, please explain why. I know you don't like Robert Nardelli who has recently been appointed CEO of Chrysler. How do you think he will do at that auto company? He doesn't know anything about ... [full story]

WHEELING, Ill. - A 5-year-old Wheeling, Ill., boy has died three days after he crashed his bicycle into a turkey fryer filled with scalding oil.Israel Hernandez was pronounced dead at 11:17 p.m. Wednesday at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood where he had been airlifted after the accident Sunday, the Chicago Tribune reported.The boy had been riding around the house at about 1 p.m. when he accidentally ran his bike into the fryer, which was ... [full story]

BEIJING - China's first test-tube baby, now 19, is preparing to start college next week, Xinhua reported Thursday.Zheng Mengzhu said she planned to study at the Xijing Vocational Institute in Xi'an, capital of the northwestern Shaanxi Province. Her family in Tianshui told a local newspaper she had left for Xi'an this week.The college declined to discuss their new freshman, stating they wanted to protect her privacy.Zheng was born in the No. 3 Hospital affiliated with ... [full story]